Brand New Day
by ENSC28
Summary: Picks up where Back In Black left off. SeanEmmaJay. Spoilers if you haven't seen Back in Black. : Extremely Long ONE SHOT


Brand New Day

Disclaimer: I don't own Degrassi, any of the characters or scripts, nor do I own the rights to any of the 40 Foot Echo lyrics in this story (Including the title). NOTE: If you haven't seen Time Stands Still part 1 or 2, or Back in Black, then THIS STORY CONTAINS SPOILERS!! ï

Emma slammed her locker hard and headed to her next class. She ignored the stares, after all, she was getting used to them now. It had been three weeks since the shooting. 2004 had definitely been a year she'd like to forget. Snake's cancer, the whole 'almost dying' thing, and of course, Sean. Emma found herself thinking of him often lately. She told herself it was because he saved her life. She wondered how he was doing in Wasaga Beach...

As she passed Jay in the hallway, he gave her a slight smile and nod, instead of his usual ridicule. Emma surprised herself by returning them. Maybe people could change.. after all, noone demonstrated that better than Sean. Maybe Jay had changed too.

...In Wasaga Beach, Sean sat on the beach, as he did so many days now. He stared out at the water, his hair blowing lightly in the wind. It helped him collect his thoughts. It seemed he had a lot of thoughts these days. The shooting changed his entire outlook on life. It surprised him, because at one time, right after he moved to Toronto, he really couldn't have cared less if he lived or died. Truth is, he didn't think anyone else would have cared either. When he was faced with a life and death situation, he found out he had an incredible desire to live. His life was finally going in the right direction, and he had things to live for. Before the shooting, he had started to really believe, that underneath it all, people were inherently **good**. People like Mr. Simpson, Mr. Ehl, even Jay had some good in him. He smiled to himself and shook his head slightly.. looks like Emma taught him something after all. Emma? He jolted. _Don't you mean Ellie_?. Ellie, his girlfriend, the girl he had left behind. They had so much in common.... they understood each other. Sean stood up and headed back to his parents'.

Emma sat in the ravine, staring ahead. Her thoughts drifted once again to the shooting. It still hadn't quite sunk in. She could see the gun, could see Sean stepping in front of her – saving her life. After all the things she'd thought about Sean, he'd risked his life to save her. The guilt was enough to swallow her whole. Her mind drifted to the day in Wasaga Beach, when he had apologized to her. **He** apologized to **her**. The thought was almost laughable. The craziest part of all, was that Ellie & Jay got to say goodbye. Emma wanted to, but Sean didn't ask to speak to her. Even if he had, she wasn't sure she'd have been able. She'd found herself feeling oddly abandoned. Sean was there at the shooting, he & Toby were the only ones who knew what it was really like. She hung her head, and a tear slid down her cheek. When had her life gotten so screwed up? She stood up, and began walking home she had be home in time to look after Jack while her Mom took Snake to a checkup. When she walked into the house, she sat down at her laptop, opened her e-mail, and stared at the screen blankly – one name in her address book stood out – "Sean Cameron". The cursor sat flashing on the screen...

"Hey kid, where've you been?" Sean's mother asked as he entered the kitchen.

"At the beach."

"It's almost 5'o clock – school let out 2 hours ago. Everything alright?"

"Yeah, I just needed to think." Sean replied.

"Ellie called while you were out. She sounded pretty upset, maybe you should call her." His Mom informed him.

...._Isn't she always a little upset??..._ Sean pushed the unbidden thought out of his head. "I can't call her – I need time away – away from everything... that's why I'm here."

"Sean – I.. I've been wondering... if you don't want to talk about it that's ok... but...you never told me how you got involved in the shooting. Who was this Emma that you saved?".

"Just a girl..." he replied after a long pause.

"God, to think my Seany would have died to save some girl!!!... I hope she's grateful..." his mother said in a shaky voice..

Sean cut her off "She's not 'some girl' Mom , we dated for almost two years – if you'd bothered to speak to me once you shipped me off to Toronto, you would know that!! Emma... Emma is a girl the world needs to have around. She's all into the environment, and recycling. She sees good in everyone. She even saw good in me!!!! Me, Mom..." he broke off and walked into his room and slammed the door, and cranked up his stereo. An all-too-familiar song came onto the radio, and he sunk onto the bed with his head in his hands.

_Never thought I'd say I'm sorry_

_Never thought I'd be the one to bring you down_

_Now when I look out my window,_

_But there doesn't seem to be anyone around_

_And I_

_I think I'll change my ways_

_So all your words get noticed_

_Tomorrow's a Brand New Day_

_Tomorrow's a new day_

Emma slammed the laptop closed. She could never put into words what she wanted to say to Sean. How do you thank someone for risking their life for you? How do you apologize for turning them in, and thinking of them as nothing but a thug? She'd deserved to be spit on. She couldn't get the image of Sean standing in his parents' driveway as the car pulled away, fighting tears. She turned on her stereo, turning it to her favorite radio station...

_We said we'd take a little time _

_For both of us to see_

_What the world would be like to carry on_

_Yeah, I know I got crazy_

_But I guess that's just me_

_If I could turn back time before the wrong_

_And I_

_I think I'll change my ways_

_So all your words get noticed_

_Tomorrow's a Brand New Day_

_Tomorrow's a new day_

Emma's gaze fell on the picture of her & Sean taken at her parents' wedding. She hadn't been able to throw it away. She grabbed her jacket, loaded Jack into his stroller, and left the house, needing desperately get away. She pushed Jack towards the park, tears stinging her eyes. Through her clouded vision, she saw an orange Honda approaching her. It pulled over, and she heard a familiar voice call out.

"Hey. Cause-Girl."

"_Great... just what I need"_ she thought. "What do you want Jay?"

"I just wanted to see... you know.. how's it going? After hanging out with you in Wasaga, it turns out you're not so bad after all." Guilt ripped through him – a foreign feeling for Jay, but after all, the shooting was kind of his fault. Emma could have been killed. Sean, his best friend, could have been killed.

"Thanks.. I think.. umm.. it's going alright.. you know.. as good as can be expected." Emma replied, stunned at what she was hearing.

"Cool. So is this your little brother? Cute kid."

"Yeah, this is Jack.."

"So – have you talked to Cameron lately?" Jay inquired

"What?? N-no... why would I talk to Sean?" Emma replied nervously, remembering how close she'd been to e-mailing him a few minutes ago.

"Yeah, me neither. It's not as much fun giving you a hard time you when he's not around." He gave her a small smile.

"I don't blame him for taking off though.. the whole shooting thing.. that was intense." He added.

"Yeah.. it's like.. sometimes it feels like you just need to.. I don't know.. run. People blame you for things.. that maybe aren't even your fault.. but people need someone to blame.. so they blame you.. like you encouraged it, or deserved it or something.." _God Emma, you're not making any sense!!_her mind was screaming.

But Jay just nodded at her like he knew exactly what she was saying.

"Well, I better take off. I'll seeya in school – if I decide to go. Take it easy, cau..Emma". With that, Jay drove off. Emma stared after him for a second, then shook her head and continued to the park...

As Sean ate supper with his parents, he braced himself for what he was about to say. He took a deep breath.

"Mom, Dad... I'm going back to Toronto."

His Mother put down her fork and stared at him. "What did you say?"

"I.. I have to go back" Sean repeated.

"But Seany, why!? You just got home!"

"Toronto is my home now. I need.. I need to be there. I needed to be here too, after the shooting. I thought... that time away was what I needed, and I did..but now... I just need to go back Mom, please understand."

"Going back for some girl, aren't you boy?" growled his Dad

Sean held himself in check..."No! No Dad, it's not like that. I'm so glad I came back, and got to spend time with you guys. And thank you, you know, for being there for me. But I need to go home."

His mother sighed.. "Ok Sean, if that's what you've decided. Can you stay for another week at least??"

"Yeah, sure.. I guess that would be ok."

As Sean helped his mother clear the table, she threw an empty milk carton in the garbage. Grabbing it out again, Sean said "Mom, no... that can be recycled."

His mother looked at him as if he'd sprouted two heads.. "What did you say?"

"The milk carton.. you shouldn't throw it away.. it can be recycled" Sean repeated shyly.

"Well well well.. look at that.. my son the environmentalist!!" his mother teased

Sean blushed "shut up mom!" But his mind had already drifted to a certain environmentalist who'd taught him to recycle... he wondered how he'd be able to return to Toronto and have everything go back to the way things were - but he already knew it wasn't possible.

A high-pitched beeping roused Emma from a deep sleep. She groaned, smacking the snooze button and pulling her pillow over her head. _Mondays suck!!_ She sighed and threw her legs over the side of the bed. Sitting up, she glanced at the calendar. November 15th. The holiday season was fast approaching. She wondered if Christmas this year would be as Merry as it had been the year before. Somehow she doubted it. She headed for the shower.

An hour later, Emma arrived at Degrassi and headed for her locker. She grabbed her history books and headed for her class. She rounded the corner by the principal's office.. and time seemed to stand still. A senior girl ran into her, and her books went flying – but Emma hardly noticed. Standing next to the principal's office was Sean Cameron and his parents. Sean looked up at her, and their eyes locked. He came over to her and helped gather her books. "Sean – you.. you're back" Emma squeaked out.

"Yep, just couldn't stay away from Degrassi I guess". Sean gave her a smile. Emma tried to remember the last time Sean had smiled at her like that.

"Well.. well it's good to have you back" she stammered.

"Thanks" Sean replied. "Wanna meet my parents?"

"Uhh.. yeah.. sure.. are you sure?" Emma wondered at what point all of her intelligence and poise had flown out the window.

They walked back to the Camerons "Mom, Dad, this is Emma. Emma, my parents".

Sean's mother raised an eyebrow at him "Nice to meet you Emma, Thank you for being such a good influence on our son."

_What?_ Emma thought incredulously.. _do they think I'm Sean's girlfriend? Do they think I'm Ellie?_

She looked at Sean puzzled.. Sean looked at his shoes "I uh.. I.. told my Mom she should recycle her milk cartons instead of just throwing them away...".

Emma couldn't help but grin at this.. she never would have believed it. Again she locked eyes with Sean and they shared a smile.

"Well I.. I better get to class.. I guess I'll see you in 3rd period Sean. Nice to meet you Mr. & Mrs. Cameron." Emma turned and walked away, still smiling.

Sean watched Emma walk away. When he turned back to his parents, his Dad was grinning at him like a fool.

"What?" Sean asked.

"Boy, I ain't blind. Any fool can see you're head over heels for that girl."

"Emma? No, no.. we're just.. just friends.. we shared a traumatic experience.. I... I..."

"Whatever you say Sean." His father was still grinning at him.

"Let's just go inside" Sean barked. He felt as though he'd been hit by a ton of bricks.

Emma? His Dad couldn't be right.. it couldn't be that obvioust..they were friends.. that's all...

So why haven't you talked to Ellie to let her know you're back yet? Why is your heart beating a million times per minute after seeing Emma for two minutes?

He forced his mind back to getting back on track at school. They entered Raditch's office to fill out all his transfer papers, again.

Emma sat in history, trying to concentrate on learning about some sort of civil war... _which one was it again?_ But her mind kept drifting to her encounter with Sean. Had she really been a good influence on him? You know, when she started thinking about it, a lot of the things she blamed him for had really been her fault. She had kind of pushed him towards Jay & his crew, because she was never around. She didn't put him first in her life. She put him somewhere behind her family, friends, and all of her causes. Which is exactly where she put herself. She always put herself last, and she had done the same thing with Sean. God, what an idiot she'd been. _I mean, to do that to the person you love..._ _love? Did you just say love?_ She sat up straight in her desk.. the realization hit her like a lightning bolt. She loved Sean. She always had. Emma had convinced herself that while she cared about Sean, he was really just another cause to her. She wanted to help him become a better person. And that when he'd dumped her and stole Snake's laptop, she'd only been upset because she'd failed at trying to save him. None of that was true.. her heart had been broken because she loved him. That's why she hadn't been surprised when Sean worked all summer to repay his debt to her father, it's why she hadn't been surprised when Sean was going to take a bullet for her, and it's why she hadn't been surprised when he apologized for hurting her. She knew all those things about Sean. He was the one person in Emma's life who ever put her first. The one person who wanted to help **her**. He made her feel like she was worth every bit as much as one of her causes.

Her heart sank.._But it's too late. He has Ellie. And he loves her. I heard him tell her that in Wasaga. What do I do now?_ She excused herself from class before the tears came, running past the principal's office, down the hall, and into the washroom. She leaned against the wall and sunk to the floor sobbing. _When is life going to stop hurting??..._

"Well, I guess it's settled then. Welcome back to Degrassi Sean. You can start classes again tomorrow."

"Thanks Mr. Raditch". As Sean said this, he saw Emma run past, obviously upset. He was immediately concerned. He said a quick goodbye and thanks to his parents, and headed in the direction Emma had run. He stopped outside the girls' washroom, and leaned against the wall, deciding he'd wait for her to come out. He closed his eyes for a second to gather his thoughts, and when he opened them, Ashley was standing in front of him, glaring.

"Sean? What are you doing here?" she demanded

"I came back." Sean replied

"Well, you shouldn't have. You might as well go back where you came from you lowlife!" by this time she was practically screaming at him.

"Ashley, what's your problem?" Sean started to get angry.

"My problem? My problem is you! You don't even deserve to breathe the same air as Ellie. She loved you, and you just left her!!!"

"My relationship with Ellie is none of your business, so back off!" he snapped

"None of my business!?? Do you have any idea where Ellie is right now?" she asked

"I.. I.. just got back this morning, I haven't had a chance to talk to her yet" _nor have you tried very hard_, came the thought.

"She MOVED Sean. Away. When you left, she couldn't pay the rent. So she went home to her Mom. And when her Dad got home, she told him everything about her Mom's drinking. Her Dad decided it would be 'best for her' to go live with her grandparents in Moncton while her Mom's in treatment. She left on Friday. But you know what? You leaving was the best thing that could have ever happened to her! She's way too good for someone like you. I hope you're happy!! You're the most selfish person I've ever met!" Ashley was livid by this time.

"I.. I..." Sean opened his mouth to protest.. "You know what – you're right. Ellie's better off without me. If you talk to her, tell her.. tell her I'm sorry." He pushed past Ashley and stalked out of the school.

Sean took deep, calming breaths and headed towards the apartment he & Ellie had shared for a brief time. Sadness overwhelmed him as he climbed the few decaying stairs. He still had a key, so he let himself in. He opened the door to find the place completely bare. There was no trace of Ellie, or the fact that she'd ever been there. She'd shipped his stuff to him two weeks ago, and his parents were storing it for him until he knew where he was going to live. He walked to the middle of the living room, and sunk to his knees, tears slipping down his cheeks. "I'm sorry Ellie – I never meant to hurt you." He whispered.

At that moment, the door swung open. A loud voice boomed out "HEY!!! What are you doing in here!!?? This is private property!!"

Sean turned, to see the landlord standing in the doorway.

"Oh, Sean, I didn't know it was you. Sorry man. I thought you were some bum looking for a place to squat for the night." the landlord said

"Sorry Mr. Edwards.. I still have a key." Sean explained

"No problem kid. Hey, I know your little friend gave me her notice, but there's still time to cancel it if you want. You and your brother were always pretty good tenants compared to some around here." The landlord offered

"Thanks Mr. Edwards, I think I'll take you up on that." _At least that solves that problem. _He handed the burly man a wad of cash his parents had given him "That should take care of next month".

"No problem kid, I didn't want to have to find new tenants anyway. Take it easy Sean." With that, Sean was alone again.

_Well, until I have my stuff back, there's no point hanging around here... _

He took one last look around his apartment, and headed out.

Emma glanced at the clock for the thousandth time that day. _Ugh, hurry up 3 o'clock! I just want to get out of here!!_ Finally the bell rang, freeing her from the confines of high school for another day. After a stop at her locker, she started towards the door. She was dragging her feet though, and she couldn't deny why... she was looking for Sean. As she made her way down the steps, a honk caught her attention. She looked up, and saw Jay in his car – he gave her a wave, which she shyly returned. "Need a ride?" he asked.

"uhh.. sure" she replied. She got in the car and Jay sped away.

From a distance, Sean looked on – not quite believing what he'd just seen. Was that Emma getting into Jay's car? His best friend and his... Emma? He felt the jealousy build inside him, but he pushed it away. No way was there anything going on between Emma and Jay, they had absolutely nothing in common. No, there was nothing going on. _Maybe if I keep repeating it, I'll convince myself it's true._

The next day, Emma awoke feeling optimistic for the first time in weeks. She took extra care in her appearance that morning. She curled her hair, and put on her new GlamShine lipstick. She headed out the door, not sure what the day would bring, but a sense of anticipation tingling up her spine.

Sean kept replaying what he'd seen yesterday over in his mind. Emma getting into Jay's car. Every time he thought about it – his blood started to boil. He didn't understand. He threw the shoe he'd been about to put on across the room and swore. _Sitting around here will just drive me crazy._ With that he crossed the room, retrieved his shoe, and headed to school. Just wait until he got his hands on his so called 'best friend'...

As Emma neared her locker, she noticed Jay leaning against it.

"What are you following me now?" She asked.

"Whoa, relax nature-girl. You dropped your sunglasses in my car" he handed her the glasses

"Oh – thanks. I was just kidding about the whole 'following me' thing." She gave him a smile.

"Ahh, sure sure, you just wanted to add me to your long list of admirers." He winked at her.

At that moment, Sean came around the corner. He felt like he'd been punched in the stomach. There was no denying it now – **something** was going on between Jay and Emma. Before he could stop himself he was headed towards them.

"Sorry to interrupt – but Jay, can I talk to you?" it was all he could do not to smack the smug look right off Jay's face

"Cameron! Emma told me you were back."

"I uhh.. I have to get to class." Emma felt awkward just seeing Sean. Even though her heart was beating a thousand times per minute, she forced herself to walk away. She made it around the corner before she stopped. Something made her wait and eavesdrop.

"Cut out the 'friends' act Jay – what's going on with you and Emma?" Sean demanded as soon as Emma was out of earshot (or so he thought)

"Oooh, still playing the hero Sean? Why do you care? You broke her heart – maybe I'll be the one to console her?" Jay sneered.

"Stay. Away. From. Emma. She's too good for you." Sean was shaking with uncontrolled rage.

"Oh is that so? And who is better for her – you? Ha. Gimme a break Sean."

"No. She's.. she's too good for me too. She's too good for people like us. I never deserved her in the first place – I just went along hoping she wouldn't realize that. Finally, I made her realize that." Sean felt sick thinking about how he'd hurt her.

"Whatever dude, I'll stay away from Emma. But I can't guarantee she'll stay away from me." With a wink and a nod, he walked off in the opposite direction.

Fuming, Sean punched a locker. The pain in his hand helped cover the pain he was feeling inside. He headed the direction Emma had gone, and as he rounded the corner, he ran smack into Emma herself.

".. I... did you hear all that?" _Please tell me she didn't hear me ranting like a caveman..._

Emma's eyes widened, and she gave a slight nod.

Sean took a deep breath and closed his eyes "Emma, I... I"

Before she could think, Emma found herself kissing Sean.

She'd read about fireworks and bright lights in romance novels before, but she never thought she'd see them herself in real life.

Sean's arms went around Emma as he kissed her back. _This... this is what's been missing_ – it was his last coherent thought before he lost himself in the kiss.

The kiss ended – reluctantly.

"I can't.. we can't.. I have to go" Emma sputtered. She ran down the hall. When she was a safe distance from Sean, she stopped running. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't catch her breath. She wasn't sure she'd ever be able to breathe normally again.

By the time lunch rolled around, Sean thought he'd go crazy. Emma hadn't been in any of the classes they shared. _Where is she?_ Sean knew he had to concentrate on the work he'd missed, but he couldn't get his mind off Emma, and the kiss she'd given him. When she'd grabbed him, there was no denying what she was feeling, what he was feeling. But then she'd taken off. He still couldn't figure out why.

He couldn't take it anymore. He had to find her. He made a quick stop at Raditch's office, mumbling some kind of excuse to be absent that afternoon, about an appointment with a therapist, and he was gone. Sean had no idea where to look for Emma, but he had to try. With a jolt, he realized he might just know where Emma was..

Emma sat in her usual spot at the ravine. She couldn't believe she was ditching school, again. It seemed to be a common theme in her life these days. She wished she could go back to grade seven, when things were simple. It was hard to imagine that fighting against Genetically Modified foods was easier than fighting her feelings for Sean Cameron. But the feelings were there, staring her in the face. _I made Sean cheat on Ellie._ The thought kept running through her mind. _I really am no better than Manny._

"Emma." The voice came from behind her. It was so soft, she thought maybe she'd dreamed it. But as she turned around, the object of her dreams stood there, as real as ever.

"Sean – what are you doing here?"

"I figured you'd be here. I needed to find you."

"Why?" Emma wasn't sure she could stand to hear the answer to that question.

"We need to talk." Sean replied

"Oh." Emma's heart sank "Look, Sean, I'm sorry I kissed you. It was totally out of line. And Ellie doesn't have to know, I'll never talk to you or look at you again, I swear." The thought of never talking to Sean again nearly ripped out Emma's insides, but she'd do what she had to do. She'd interfered with his life enough.

"Em, Emma, listen to me.. Ellie.. she's gone.. she moved to Moncton"

Emma thought she'd misheard "She what?! Sean, I hadn't heard. I'm so sorry, you must be devastated.. the girl you.. love" she choked out the word ".. she moves away, and then me, I have the nerve to kiss you! God, I'm such an idiot.. I"

"Emma! Stop!" Sean couldn't help but grin, this was one of the things he loved about Emma. "It's ok. It's for the best. Ellie and I – she's a great girl. But we weren't meant to be."

"You weren't?"

"No. We weren't. Ellie's a great girl. She & I have a lot in common. We both come from crappy homes, and we can relate to each other. We have the same cynical outlook on life – that it's out to get us. I did love Ellie." Emma winced, though she knew she had no right to ".. I loved the way she understood me, and I understood her. She didn't try to change me."

Emma looked at the ground, ashamed, remembering all the times she'd tried to change Sean.

"But –"Sean continued, "I needed to change Emma. I want, and need, to believe that the world isn't out to get me. I need someone to balance me out. To believe that the world is as good as I think it is screwed up - to teach me how to be optimistic, and see the good in things. I need someone that gets under my skin." He smiled "Someone like you. That day we went to Wasaga, when I almost drowned, I opened my eyes, and all I saw was you, looking down at me all concerned. I can't get that image out of my mind. I realized that I'd never told Ellie about Tyler, how the fight really happened. But I'd told you. You knew I needed to go see my parents, and you didn't stop me. You encouraged me. All you've ever tried to do is make the world a better place Emma. And I punished you for that. I apologized to you, but I don't know if I can ever make up for it."

"Sean.. you saved my life! I'd say you made up for it!" Emma said through the tears that had begun to fall.

Sean looked over at her, and wondered how he'd ever doubted how she felt about him before. It was right there in her eyes. Everything she felt, everything she wanted to say.

He continued "When Rick had that gun pointed at you.. that's when I started to realize how I felt about you. How I still felt about you. My only thoughts were that a world without Emma Nelson in it was no world at all. That _my_ world would be nothing without you in it. I... I love you Emma. I always have. I was just too stupid to realize it. I thought I wasn't good enough for you. And maybe I'm not. But with your help, I will be." Sean finished his speech; feeling like a thousand pounds had been lifted off his shoulders. He snuck a look at Emma, whose face was soaked in tears.

Emma opened her mouth to reply, to tell Sean how she felt.. "Sean, I'm sorry.. for my part in what happened last year. I never told you that. You were trying to look out for me. You saw that I was overwhelmed, and hurting, by all the pressure on me. Having to look after Jack, Snake being sick, I couldn't take it. The only person who knew that was you. And I pushed you away, when I really needed you the most. I will always regret that. But I love you Sean. I never stopped. Even after the whole laptop incident, I knew you only did it to get back at me. I know the real Sean, the wonderful person who is kind, and selfless.. the one who loves me."

They leaned in to each other. This time the kiss was slow and sweet. Sean laid his hand on Emma's cheek, never wanting to let her go.

He pulled back slightly "So, looks like I'm going to be recycling for the rest of my life, huh?"

Emma smiled "Oh yeah, the rest of your life!! I can't believe you told your Mom to recycle!!" she laughed.

As their lips met again, a loud noise sounded in the distance. Emma jumped back "What was that!?"

Sean smiled and reached for her "That was the world shifting back into place."

Emma grinned "Well, it's about time!"


End file.
